Hi all,
I might be a bit bias because of the "Cook" name in this program, but bear with me as the results are impressive.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, Australia, and Europe, and it is among one of the top four causes of cancer death in Canada, so it is a big problem. The state of Illinois in the U.S. has very high rates of colorectal cancer and very low screening rates. Cook County was at one time one of the regions in the state that had the lowest colorectal cancer screening rates, particularly among low-income ethnic minorities ages 50 – 75. That is, until the University of Chicago Medicine stepped in and launched the Cook County CARES program. CARES stands for Colorectal Cancer Alliance to Reinforce and Enhance Screening.
The University of Chicago Medicine conducted research into the source of the problem and found that one of the biggest barriers to screening was the wait time for getting an appointment. In many cases, the wait time was over a year, which resulted in a two-fold increase in colon cancer risk. Dr. Karen E. Kim, Professor of Medicine and Principal Investigator for the program explained that the gap in access was so severe that doctors were becoming frustrated and giving up on ordering stool tests because they had nowhere to send the patients for follow-up care. With Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funding, they developed a network of over 300 service providers throughout the state, connecting Federally Qualified Health Centers to partner hospitals to ensure that patients received follow-up screening and that results got back to their doctors. They also partnered with the American Cancer Society, the Illinois Primary Health Care Association, and community groups to expand reach. To facilitate connections throughout their expansive network, a website portal, Illinois Colon CARES, was created. As a result, individuals from underserved populations are now connected to preventive health services.
Here's the best part: in a two-year period, at the clinic level, colorectal cancer screening rates increased from 1% to 20%. This is a dramatic change, demonstrating that extensive partnerships, a bit of training, and convenience for patients can successfully save lives.
For more information, please visit the following site: HealthyPeople.gov.
